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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2020 Oct 12;519:111043. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.111043

Figure 1. The adrenal cortex employs multiple cell populations with stem cell function to support cellular renewal.

Figure 1.

The outer mesenchymal capsule contains distinct populations of multipotent stem cells, including GLI+ and WT1+ cells, which are capable of giving rise to steroidogenic cells. These populations contribute at relatively low rates to homeostatic adrenocortical renewal, but can be acutely activated in response to severe stress. The main driver of homeostatic centripetal renewal is the zona glomerulosa (zG), which is characterized by high Wnt pathway activation and the production of SHH ligands. The zG contains CYP11B2− cells as well as more differentiated CYP11B2+ cells, which can repopulate the inner cortex through transdifferentiation. The ability of the adrenal cortex to maintain cellular renewal through a diverse set of mechanisms enables the tissue to adapt to a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions.